A sign that says "Firearms are prohibited in the Wyoming State Capitol"
Signs posted at the Capitol outline the current rules regarding firearms. (Madelyn Beck/WyoFile)

Gov. Mark Gordon will lead a public discussion Monday about allowing firearms in the Capitol. 

Part of a Wyoming State Building Commission meeting, the conversation is slated for 4-6 p.m. in the Capitol Extension Conference Center Auditorium (122 W 25th Street).

“I look forward to a thoughtful conversation with the board, and to hear from the public as we examine how we may work towards eliminating gun-free zones where appropriate,” Gordon said in a prepared statement.

The discussion will only involve concealed carry in public spaces of the Capitol building and extension, and will not address other state-owned facilities. 

A sign that says "Firearms are prohibited in the Wyoming State Capitol"
(Madelyn Beck/WyoFile)

Legislators passed a bill this winter that would have allowed those with concealed carry permits to bring firearms into most public facilities overseen by the state, including local government meetings, the Capitol and schools. 

Gordon vetoed the legislation, saying in his letter to the secretary of state that it “erodes historic local control norms” and “exceeds the separation of powers embodied in Article 2 of our Wyoming Constitution. I must, therefore, veto it.”

Since then, Gordon has re-started the conversation around allowing more concealed carry at the Capitol via the Wyoming State Building Commission  — a panel that includes the governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction. 

The Capitol presents a particularly complicated case because various parts of it are overseen by different branches of government during different parts of the year. 

The public is encouraged to attend and comment. Those wishing to observe and participate from afar can join virtually here, or submit online public comments via a form that opens Aug. 12. 

No action will be taken at the meeting. 

Madelyn Beck reports from Laramie on health and public safety. Before working with WyoFile, she was a public radio journalist reporting for NPR stations across the Mountain West, covering regional issues...

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  1. Never been inside the Wyoming capitol. Never considered wearing a gun in public as a private citizen. Never lived in a state that wants to throw away $10 million on a popgun gallery for insecure gun-toters who like to pretend they are real he-men…

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  2. Firearms are the absolute last tool in the toolbox that a correctional facility chooses to use to maintain a safe and secure environment. Arms are kept under lock and key (and off campus) because neither the inmates nor the staff ever feels comfortable if anything more dangerous than a set of fingernail clippers is brought inside the fence. No amount of additional weapons training for the officers or cognitive retraining for the incarcerated is going to improve this situation. Simply making weapons readily available in a target rich environment creates opportunities and risk for mayhem . If the professional “good” guys and the professional “bad” guys have already done the math for us— Why on earth would we ever seriously entertain the idea of introducing this variable of constitutional carry into the equation for any other governmental institution, school, or the University of Wyoming?
    As for myself, this argument of the “good ol’ boys with the guns ridin’ to the rescue” is akin to feeling a spider crawling around in my bedsheets in the middle of the night and choosing to cure the problem by releasing a mason jar full of scorpions under my pillow with the hope that they will somehow chase the spider into the closet. Isaiah said something about there being no rest for the wicked… perhaps he is on to something…

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  3. When the future president of our country can not feel save when in the presence of the tightest security we can provide, just maybe we are only kidding ourselves thinking a sign “No Firearm,s” are going to save us from some creep who is maybe a little smarter than “professional” security to protect us
    . Our present governor should know better.

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  4. If the attempted assassination of the former President of the U.S.A. at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania doesn’t prove why guns should not be allowed in certain public locations, what more reasoning does this far-right wing Republican Party need? If the United States Secret Service (USSS), professionals assigned to protect U.S. officials, etc. prohibits guns at these events, there is certainly sound reasoning behind this decision. Why does the Republican Party at the Wyoming State Capitol keep beating a dead horse, do they think their judgement is better than that of the USSS. Common sense seems to have vacated the premises of the Wyoming State Capitol! Why should you let your guard down at the Capitol? The Second Amendment is not the issue here, public safety is! The Governor’s panel is void of any professional law enforcement members, seems like if you’re going to conduct a meeting regarding a particular subject, you would have experts in that subject attending as panel members.

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  5. More guns more bullets more death. People with guns kill people in the name of that slippery slope the Second Amendment. Peace out all.

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  6. If I recall correctly, a couple of goofball politicians got drunk and got in a fight. Perhaps they are their own worse enemy, and should leave the guns at home. This is just more wacky “stuff” from the goofballs.

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